Criminal
by VerityTales
Summary: A tale of a criminal and a doctor and the conspiracies around them. "Sorry Sasuke. I couldn't keep my promise."
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"There we are, Uchiha-san!" Sakura chirped cheerily. "You are good to go."

Her stoic patient merely nodded, as he rose and proceeded towards the door.

"Wait, Uchiha-san!" Sakura also stood, gesturing for him to wait.

"Just… be more careful next time, okay? I don't want to see you in my office again." She saw the slight frown on the black haired male's face and quickly added, "It's not that I don't want to see you again, it's just that I don't want to see you here with anymore injuries. You've been coming here constantly for a month now, and always injured."

He gave no response.

She sighed, "Promise to take care of yourself, okay?"

He gave her a long look, before nodding his head slightly and left.

* * *

"Hands up, everyone! We are taking over this place temporarily until everything valuable has been handed to us. Co-operate, and we won't harm you. Resist, and we won't hesitate to kill you. Until we meet again next time, do remember us, the Akatsuki!"

"Tch. Does he need to broadcast our name like that every time?" Sasuke whispered grumpily to the Akatsuki member beside him, Pain.

"That's Deidara for you." Pain shrugged. "Zetsu also said that it would mock the police more, because they can't catch us no matter how big a name we make for ourselves out there."

Sasuke burned a hole through the back of Deidara's head with his eyes before proceeding to clean up anything valuable. The faster he got out of here, the better he will be.

 _Back in the hideout…_

"Zetsu! Why are we still running petty errands like robbing banks? You promised to help me kill Orochimaru and avenge my family!" Sasuke glared angrily at the said man, or whatever creature that weird Akatsuki leader was. The raven-haired man was fuming. It had been 5 months since he joined Akatsuki to end Orochimaru's life, and he had gained nothing significant yet.

"Woah, calm down man!" was Zetsu's calm reply, which made Sasuke want to strangle him. "We need resources to take down a man like Orochimaru. We are just currently gathering what we need."

"It's been five months!" Sasuke burst out, not buying Zetsu's excuse.

Zetsu merely waved a hand at him, unintimidated, "Say what you will, Sasuke, but remember, _we_ are the ones helping you, so we go by our rules. Which, in other words, are _my_ rules." He then left Sasuke surrounded by his own murderous intent.

* * *

Thank you for reading. Please leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Hey, big assignment today. Listen up!" Zetsu announced. "We're going to kidnap someone."

The Akatsuki went into an uproar at the challenge. "Finally! Something interesting! Took him long enough, hmm?" Deidara joined in, clearly in a good mood. But not Sasuke. For him, it was just another problematic situation to add to his list of problematic situations.

After a while, someone finally thought to ask, "Who is it?"

"Well," Zetsu started, "I originally planned to kidnap Kakashi the millionaire himself," At this, more cheers arose, "but with all the guards around him, it will be too much of a trouble, and may well give them a chance to finally capture us. So, we will hold his precious nephew Naruto instead." He finished. The cheers has now turned into jeers of disappointment and anger.

Zetsu looked around at the Akatsuki members present. "Tch. Pain, Sasori, come with me. The rest of you, stay here and make yourselves busy."

There was clear confusion and more anger amongst the crowds.

"Why do you three get to do it and not us?" one shouted.

"Yeah! Weren't we all going to do this together?" said another.

"I am clearly better suited for this assignment. Take me!"

And the protests went on.

Zetsu raised a hand for silence. "Stealth is the key to this operation if we want to abduct the boy without being noticed for quite some while. This period of time before they realised that he is missing is a crucial time period for us to ready ourselves. The rest of you here either talk too much," he glared at Deidara, "or will kill our hostage before he even gets here. There are also some among our ranks who are too inexperience for this high-ranked assignment." Sasuke knew that he was talking about him. He would have usually argued about he was much more skilful compared to some other of the hot-headed members, but this time, he let it slide. He didn't want to get too caught up in this anyway.

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Naruto, happy birthday to you!"

"Come on, hurry up Naruto, blow out the candles!"

"Wait, wait, wait. I need to think of a wish first!" the said boy (man?) protested.

"Don't tell me you are going to waste a wish on an unlimited supply of ramen?" Kakashi raised a brow, briefly glancing up from his book of porn, before giggling in an un-manly-like manner at something in the book.

"Of course not! I am not that stupid!"

"Um, actually, you might be." Sakura answered.

"Eh? You are taking Kakashi-jii-san's side on this, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura huffed, "I am not taking anyone's side. I am just stating a fact. You _are_ quite stupid."

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto whined, "Couldn't you at least be nice to your precious cousin on his birthday?"

Glancing at the puppy dog eyes on Naruto's eyes, Sakura caved. She sighed, "Fine, fine… You are not _that_ stupid. _Now_ can you blow the candles?"

Naruto placed his palms together and closed his eyes for a few seconds, before taking a deep breath and blowing all the candles clean out.

"So, what _did_ you wish for, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto shook his head, "Not telling, otherwise it won't come true!"

"I bet he wished to take over your company someday." Sakura muttered.

"Eh? How did you know, Sakura-chan?"

* * *

"Ah, would you look at the time. It's getting late. I think it is time for me to go."

"Already, Kakashi-jii-san? It's still early!"

"I have an early morning meeting tomorrow that I absolutely can't miss. Sorry, Naruto."

Naruto pouted, "Eh, well, if you need to, then you need to go."

Kakashi's lone eye crinkled as he smiled, "Thanks for understanding, Naruto. You really are my favourite nephew. And Sakura, of course, is my favourite niece. Will you be going yet, Sakura?"

"Nah, I have a day off tomorrow. I will stay for a little while longer."

"Well then, bye you two." And he left.

* * *

Sasori saw a shadowed figure leaving the house. All was silent.

"I think they left," he reported.

"Good. That means that the brat is now home alone. Remember to stick to the plan. Let's move in now."

Stealthily, the trio managed to pick the lock and get in from the back door without much hassle. They then split up to look for Naruto. Zetsu came across the kitchen and stopped when he saw a figure moving out of the corner of his eye. He waited until the figure had turned their back to face him before advancing with a body-sized sack in hand. He skilfully threw it over the person's head.

 _Got you, brat._

A muffled scream rang out throughout the house.

* * *

Thank you for reading. Please leave a review.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

I know I haven't updated in a long time and I am really sorry. I will try my best to finish this story as soon as possible. My writing style may or may not have changed slightly but nonetheless I hope you enjoy! Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed and followed my story!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Total darkness. That was the first thing she saw when she came to.

 _What… happened? Where's Naruto?_

It was only after a few moments that her memories of the previous night suddenly flooded back to her, giving her a little jolt. She was at Naruto's birthday party. Kakashi left early. She stayed with Naruto in the living room for a while longer until he unceremoniously fell asleep. After that, she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water… when someone or something had thrown a sort of bag over her and knocked her out. Though she couldn't see anything, her eyes widened with horror and fear at the sudden realisation.

"Mmauoo!" her attempted scream was muffled. She then became aware of the pressure on her wrists, ankle, mouth and eyes. That would explain why she couldn't see, speak or move.

She slumped in defeat as she realised that there wasn't much that she could do at the moment. Right at that moment, her stomach growled. Her throat was parched as well. She could only hope that someone may come to her with some food—and answers—soon.

* * *

Not having any sense of time, Sakura had no idea how long she had stayed there alone until her ears picked up echoing footsteps and the rattling of steel bars. She tensed in anticipation and was roughly hauled up into a sitting position. Her bindings were cut and the cloth around her eyes and mouth were removed as well. However, despite expecting light to flood her retinas, all she saw was the familiar darkness.

"Here." Something scraped against the floor as it was pushed towards her, but Sakura could not make out what it was. She made no move to retrieve the object.

"Eat." The low voice was more demanding now, and though she couldn't make out his face, she felt that the voice was awfully familiar…

There was shuffling, and Sakura assumed that her captor had stood up. All he said as he walked out of her confinement was a single "tch".

She hadn't said a word or moved a muscle throughout the whole exchange out of fear and confusion. It was only when she was sure that he was far gone that she allowed herself to sob quietly.

* * *

"You were supposed to kidnap the brat! Not the other brat!"

"I think you need to be a little more specific."

"The blonde Naruto brat, not the girl!"

"Frankly, I don't see the difference. They are both related to Kakashi aren't they?"

"Well yes but the boy would have been easier to handle! He's an idiot!"

"I heard that the boy might be inheriting the company in the future. Kakashi would pay more for him."

"Well but—"

"SILENCE!"

The grouped jumped a little at the sudden interruption, but otherwise kept quiet as instructed.

"What's done is done, okay? Can't change that now. We'll just make do with the girl."

Murmurs were beginning to rise from the group, and Sasuke could make out a couple of people saying something along the lines of "says the one who took the wrong person". Zetsu seemed to have heard it too as he glared at the group and everyone was silence once more.

"Konan, brief us on the girl's info."

"Haruno Sakura. 23 years of age. Currently working as a doctor in Konoha hospital. Despite being at a young age, she works directly under the head doctor Senju Tsunade and is rumoured to take over the position when Tsunade retires. Hatake Kakashi's niece on her mother's side and Uzumaki Naruto's cousin. Recently co-founded a children's clinic in Konoha. Her hair is naturally pink. Nothing else to note."

"What of her parents?"

"Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki. Died in a car accident five years ago. Of average financial status."

The discussion continued but Sasuke found himself tuning out in boredom and impatience. The Akatsuki are only thinking about money and wealth. When were they ever going to avenge his family? His building rage pushed aside a nagging thought at the back of his mind that he had heard the girl's name somewhere before…

* * *

The dark-haired man paused in his walk back to the headquarters. He glanced behind him and narrowed his eyes at something before deeming it to be of his imagination and continued on. However, that didn't stop the gnawing feeling in his chest that something was wrong.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Sakura estimated that a few hours had passed before the man came in again. He didn't say anything this time, merely pushing something that she assumed was more food. The shuffling of feet signalled his impending departure, but before he could fully step out of wherever she was held captive, she quietly asked, "W-why am I here?" She mentally cursed herself for the stutter.

Her captor paused. "I am not obligated to answer you."

"Not obligated to answer me?" Sakura's voice was stronger now, fuelled by her growing anger and annoyance.

"That's what I just said."

"I am here because of you! The least you can do is give me some sort of reason. Are you going to kill me? Hold me hostage for something?" Sakura was near shouting now, and in spite of herself, her tears were starting to pool around her eyes.

He hesitated for a few seconds, before answering, "Hostage."

"What for?"

This, he didn't bother gracing with an answer and before she could react, he had already slammed the metal door closed. She panicked.

"Wait! Let me out!" she banged her fist against the cold, hard metal. "Let me out!"

But it was clear that he had no intention to.

* * *

"Ah! If it isn't Uchiha-san! Injured again?" said man nodded. The nurse looked at him sympathetically. "I know you always insist on the best Uchiha-san, but I'm afraid Sakura-senpai isn't in today. She hasn't for a few days now and we haven't heard from her at all. It's rather strange, coming from her. I hope nothing bad has happened…" she trailed off before she realised what she was meant to do.

"My apologies Uchiha-san. Will Shizune-senpai be acceptable?" But when she looked up from the computer screen, the man was gone.

* * *

"Bad news."

The man's companions immediately looked up upon his grave tone. "Go on."

"Haruno Sakura has been absent from the hospital for a few days. I have reason to believe that the Akatsuki has made their move."

"So it seems." One of his companions sighed. "I knew that arrest a few days ago was too easy. It was probably a distraction from the real plan."

The other man in the room groaned, "Kakashi is going to kill me for this."

"That's not important right now, Obito. What's important is retrieving the hostage and figuring out the Akatsuki's true motive. I have a feeling that it is something very big."

He received a glare in response. "You're not the one facing his wrath, Shisui."

Said man ignored him. "One of the underlings we caught spilled some info. The Akatsuki has a hideout in the north-western corner of Konoha, in one of the abandoned warehouses. We were just about to send a team to investigate." He turned to the silent man still standing by the door of the office, "Do you want to be on the team?"

He paused, contemplating, "No. I doubt the Akatsuki are stupid enough to put themselves at risk. Even if the information was true, they are probably long gone by now.

"I have a small lead that I want to work on. I'll inform you of anything I find."

Shisui nodded, "Alright then. Keep up the good work, Itachi."

Itachi nodded and turned to leave, his mind preoccupied. He fished out a phone from his pocket and watched as the screen lit up. The lock screen display was a picture of his younger brother, a small smile on his face, but a genuine smile nonetheless. To his right was a petite girl with shoulder-length pink hair and bright green eyes. She was sporting a smile that spoke volumes of her immense happiness and delight.

As Itachi stared at the picture, there was a buzzing in his pocket. He flipped open his phone and pressed answer, but not before giving a final glance to picture of the couple in the other phone.

 _Sorry Sasuke. I couldn't keep my promise._

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's note: My longest chapter yet! Thank you so much to those who followed and/or reviewed the story. Your suggestions help me write better. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 _Elementary school_

 _"_ _Sasuke-kun! Look at what okaa-san gave me for lunch!"_

 _Said boy looked up from his book to stare critically at her. He was quiet for a few moments, contemplating on what to say to the girl who interrupted his reading. Before he could voice his chosen response though, she had already beat him to it._

 _"_ _Look, look!" she shoved a box in his direction. He glanced at it in disinterest,_

 _"_ _What's so special about it? It's just a bento."_

 _She giggled at his response. He looked at her like she was crazy, before she elaborated, "Look at this compartment!"_

 _He did. The second biggest compartment of the bento was filled with his favourite food—tomatoes. He vaguely wondered how he had missed it the first time._

 _"_ _Your lunches always had tomatoes in some way, so I figured you liked them. Anyway, I told my okaa-san to pack extra so that I can give them to you. I hope you like them!"_

 _Without waiting for his response, she carefully transferred all the tomatoes from her bento to the already empty lunch box sitting next to him. She stood up, looking pleased with herself._

 _"_ _I'm gonna go find Ino-chan now! Bye-bye Sasuke-kun!"_

 _That afternoon, when Iruka-sensei told them to do a group colouring activity, Sakura immediately dragged Naruto and Sasuke's arms to a nearby table._

 _"_ _What?" Naruto whined, "Why are we with the teme again?"_

 _"_ _I told you, Naruto, it's because we're friends. Right, Sasuke-kun?"_

 _They both turned to look at the quiet boy, expecting some sort of vague denial that usually came from him after such a statement. It was only after a few moments that they started on their colouring, Naruto and Sakura with their eyes still wide in surprise._

 _He hadn't denied it._

* * *

 _Junior high_

 _"_ _What on earth, Sasuke-kun? What did Lee ever do to you?"_

 _Sasuke muttered something incomprehensible._

 _Sakura moved closer to him and cupped her ears. "What did you say?"_

 _"_ _Tch. Nothing."_

 _Naruto chuckled from his place at the teacher's desk in the empty classroom that they were in. He grinned widely, and the evil glint in his eyes told Sasuke that he was up to no good._

 _"_ _It's not nothing Sakura-chan. Lee was flirting with you, you know?"_

 _Sakura looked confused. "No, he was just being a gentleman. I've already rejected him once. And what does this have anything to do with this anyway?"_

 _If possible, Naruto's grinned widened, "You don't understand, Sakura-chan. Teme was just defending what he thought was h—" he never got to finish his sentence, however, as Sasuke had expertly flung a textbook straight onto his face with enough force to send him tumbling onto the floor._

 _"_ _What the hell, teme?" Naruto shouted, "What was that for?"_

 _Sasuke shot him a deadly glare._

 _"_ _You know what that was for, idiot. Shut your mouth and mind your own business."_

 _"_ _Both of you, just shut up!" Sakura yelled, having had enough. The both of them quieted immediately._

 _She exhaled deeply and rubbed her temples. Her headache was getting worse._

 _"_ _Sasuke. This is precisely the show of violence that got you suspended in the first place. You really need to learn to control your temper." Sakura chastised, her voice low. She looked dead serious now._

 _She sighed. "You two are way more trouble than you are worth. Naruto has gotten way too many detentions to count, and now Sasuke got himself suspended for a month for assaulting another student. Keep up the good work and no decent high school will accept you guys."_

 _Sasuke stayed silent but didn't look as though he regretted what he did. Naruto, on the other hand, looked as cheerful as ever as he slung an arm around Sakura's shoulders._

 _"_ _But we have you to keep us in line, Sakura-chan!"_

 _"_ _Right," she said dryly, attempting to free herself from her cousin, "What will you guys do without me, indeed? You can't just rely on me for your whole life you know."_

 _Secretly, Sasuke hoped that her words weren't true._

* * *

 _High school_

 _"_ _Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! I asked Hinata-chan to prom, and she said yes!" Sakura had never seen Naruto look so excited, except for the time when Ichiraku had an all-you-can-eat day for a dirt-cheap price._

 _"_ _What did I say, Naruto?" she chuckled. "Told you she would say yes! So, are you guys dating now?"_

 _"_ _Ehehehe," Naruto looked embarrassed now, with a bright red blush across his cheeks. "You know I've had a crush on her for ages, but I don't know if she feels the same."_

 _Sakura wanted to facepalm herself at his density. "Naruto, I have known the both of you for quite a long time, and I can safely say that you at least won't be rejected outright. She even agreed to go to prom with you!"_

 _"_ _I guess you're right. I'll ask her to be my girlfriend after prom."_

 _Sakura smiled, and she was giddy with happiness for her two friends. "Good luck Naruto! Even though you don't need it."_

 _"_ _Thanks Sakura-chan!" He looked at her with a mischievous grin, "And how about you? Who are you going with?"_

 _Sakura huffed, blushing, "No one. Who says you need a date for prom?"_

 _"_ _Eh? Has the teme not asked you yet?"_

 _"_ _What?" Sakura blushed deeper, "W-why would I ever go with that cold-hearted, violent-tempered jerk? Even if he asked, I would never agree!"_

 _"_ _Really?"_

 _At the sound of the new voice, Sakura froze._

 _Speak of the devil._

 _"_ _S-Sasuke-kun! We were just talking about you. I, mean, we weren't. Yeah, we weren't talking about you at all!"_

 _Sasuke stared at her, his look clearly questioning if she took him as a fool._

 _Naruto took this as his cue to leave and took off as soon as he muttered something about meeting Hinata._

 _The two didn't seem to have heard him. Sakura was determinedly staring at anywhere but Sasuke, while Sasuke seemed to be intentionally pressuring her with his intense gaze. After a while, it was Sasuke who snapped out of it first._

 _"_ _Hn. I'll pick you up at 6." And with that, he left a wide-eyed and gaping Sakura behind, wondering if all that studying and worrying about the welfare of her troublemaker friends had finally made her lose her sanity at last._

 _It was the bell that woke her up of her reverie. It was only then that she realised how Sasuke had read right through her._

* * *

 _Prom_

 _The entire car ride on the way to the venue had been filled with awkward silence. Sakura was nervously fidgeting with her fingers while Sasuke just looked like he was plain ignoring her. In the darkness of the car, she had entirely missed the faint blush that he was desperately trying to make disappear._

 _When they got there, Sakura was immediately overwhelmed by her friends, gushing at how pretty she looked, even though they all looked just as nice._

 _Naruto not-so-discreetly nudged Sasuke's side with possibly a bit more force than necessary as Sasuke hissed with the pain, "Isn't Sakura-chan pretty tonight? Have you told her how_ beautiful _she looks?"_

 _Sasuke looked more than a little annoyed, "Of course I haven't."_

 _Naruto actually looked surprised, "What? Why haven't you?"_

 _"_ _Why should I?"_

 _Naruto had a disbelieving look on his face, "Girls like it when you compliment them." He said matter-of-factly, "Actually, everyone likes it when they get a compliment, except maybe you. You should make a move on Sakura-chan before she finds someone better, ya know."_

 _That got Sasuke's attention._

 _"_ _Find someone better?" he all but hissed the words._

 _Naruto realised his mistake, and before his friend could go on an angry rampage, he amended, "Just joking! We all know that Sakura-chan has only had eyes fir you."_

 _Sasuke hasn't exactly calmed down, but the murderous intent had disappeared. Before neither of them could say anymore, Sakura came bounding up to them._

 _"_ _Let's go inside guys. It's freezing out here."_

 _While walking inside, Naruto was actually seriously contemplating something. It was almost graduation after all, and it was already decided that they were going to separate colleges. If nothing happened between his two best friends now, it would be more unlikely to happen in the future._

 _Suddenly, Naruto's face lit up, as though a light bulb has been turned on in his brain. He inwardly patted himself on the back for coming up with such a brilliant idea. He raced up to Sasuke, who had gained quite a lead on him when he slowed his pace to think, and quickly swiped something out of his vest pocket before Sasuke could even react._

 _"_ _Hey! That's my phone you idiot!"_

 _Naruto ignored him. "Hey, hey since this is such a momentous occasion, shouldn't we take a photo to commemorate?"_

 _Sasuke was about to protest, but Sakura interrupted him with a cheerful agreement._

 _"_ _Good idea, Naruto! Let's ask someone to take a picture for us."_

 _"_ _No need, Sakura-chan! I feel like playing photographer today and I will take you and teme's pictures."_

 _"_ _Eh? Really, Naruto? Shouldn't you be in a picture with us too?"_

 _"_ _We can take a group pic later! We should have one with everyone else too. But for now, I'll just take one of you two!" Naruto whipped out Sasuke's stolen phone, "With this!"_

 _"_ _With Sasuke's phone?" she looked up at Sasuke, "Are you okay with that?"_

 _"_ _Hn."_

 _"_ _So it's decided! Stand closer you two."_

 _"_ _E-eh?" Sakura was blushing again, "I think we're fine where we are, Naruto."_

 _"_ _No you're not." Naruto pushed Sasuke into Sakura, nearly knocking her over._

 _"_ _Idiot!"_

 _"_ _Hehe, sorry 'bout that. But anyway, smile!"_

 _Sakura smiled as commanded, still embarrassed._

 _"_ _I said smile, Sasuke-teme. Stop looking so grumpy. You'll ruin the photo!"_

 _"_ _Tch. Don't tell me what to do, dobe."_

 _"_ _Stop arguing you two. Today is supposed to be a celebration. Come on, Sasuke-kun. Cheering up never hurt anybody now, did it?"_

 _He grumbled but conceded. "Fine." He forced his lips to curl up slightly. "Better?"_

 _All embarrassment forgotten by now, Sakura took in Sasuke's 'smiling' expression and laughed softly. At the sound of her laughter, Sasuke's expression soften, and he looked more serene immediately. A genuine smile was threatening to appear._

 _"_ _Okay guys! Smile for the picture!"_

 _And they did._

* * *

Sakura sat in the darkness of her confinement, contemplating. She needed to get out of here, and her brain was already slowly formulating a plan. The food trays from the mysterious man's previous visits lay by her side, and she picked them up, testing their durability. It wasn't the best, but it will have to do.

She felt her way around the cell, eventually touching a lock that she assumed was connected to the door. It had been hours, and it felt about time for her next food round to be delivered. She hadn't gotten much answers, but she figured that she can get them after she escapes. Or rather, the authorities can. The prospect of having to deal with these criminals again after an escape doesn't sound pleasant.

She stood ready by the door, with the trays raised above her head. Her muscles tensed as she heard shuffling on the outside, getting closer. It was time.

The door opened a crack, before slowly widening.

"Hey girlie. Time for y—" A sickening bang was heard as the metal connected against his skull. The man slumped onto the floor immediately, and whatever he was holding clanged noisily onto the floor. Not bothering to look at the fallen man at all, she immediately ran out, and began searching for a way out of the place. As she took a turn down a corridor, her eyes squinted as she had to readjust to the light. When it finally did, the adrenaline in her veins pushed her to run as fast as she can, while also trying her best to stay quiet and memorising the interiors of what looks like an abandoned office building. The room she was locked in was most probably a storage room of some sort. The building was vast, and likely with several floors. The loud scuffle from her escape had also probably alerted someone to something. Her hopes were becoming bleaker.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before she nearly ran into another man, likely an accomplice of the criminal that brought her here.

"A tough one, aren't you? Didn't expect you to escape so soon. Too bad for you we need you locked up again. Boss's orders." He grinned maliciously, "But he didn't say _how_ we do it, as long as we lock you up again. In which case, I can have some fun before I turn you in."

Sakura panicked and immediately began running down the hallway she came from, not realising until it was too late that she had taken a wrong turn and was now heading down a dead end. Her eyes widened in horror as the man slowly gained on her, the look on his face becoming creepier by the second. She pressed herself against the wall as much as she can and closed her eyes out of fear, waiting for the impact.

It never came.

She heard a grunt and slowly peeked her eyes open to see what's going on. Standing before her was a tall and dark-haired man. He was holding the other man by the collar. Looking from the dark-haired man's clenched fist and the other man's bruised face, she concluded that this man was her saviour. Her heart soared in hope.

"The boss said to capture her, not assault her. Do you want to jeopardise the mission by hurting the hostage? Stupid bastards." the man muttered, even though the other man was already unconscious. Sakura's heart plummeted. The voice was the same as the man who had given her food the first two times. He wasn't her saviour after all.

The man then turned to her. Now in the light, she could see his face clearly. She gasped, and her heart was beating so fast that it felt as though it might explode out of her chest. Her head spun. This was too much in one day. For standing in front of her was the man she has loved for years. The man who has been missing and presumed dead for months.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she breathed, as if not daring to say his name after so long.

To her surprise, he merely narrowed his eyes at her, his face showing no sign of recognition.

"How do you know my name?"

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's note: Apologies for the late update! The updates should be coming quicker from now on.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Sasuke-kun? It's me, Sakura! Don't you remember me?"

"Sakura?" The feeling of familiarity from when he first heard the name started to bloom, but before he could think too deeply into it, he shook his head. To clear his head or to answer her question or maybe both—even he didn't know which.

"No. Never heard of it."

He watched as her eyes widened and clouded over and her mouth gaped open in what was probably disbelief.

"B-but how? We've known each other since we were children. Stop lying, Sasuke!"

"I'm not lying. Now shut up and walk back to your cell."

Sakura hesitated, before her face lit up with a new idea. "What about Naruto? Surely you remember your best friend!"

"Best friend? I don't have one." He was almost offended at her suggestion that he was close to anyone. The only thing that mattered in his life was revenge for his family. Friends don't even exist in his vocabulary.

"Of course you do! The three of us went through elementary, middle and high school together! Then one day, after your parents died, you just suddenly disappeared! Everyone was saying that you were dead. But here you are." She looked like she was starting to ramble now, and Sasuke stopped her before she could continue.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear about you and your pathetic nonsense," he all but snarled, his head now pounding with a massive headache.

Out of shock and slight fear, she complied. Her eyes were now filled to the brim with tears, but it looked as though she was holding it back, unwilling to show weakness.

Feeling a slight pang of a feeling unknown to him, he turned away and trudged towards Sakura's cell, listening to the footsteps that was the only indication that she was following him.

* * *

Movies always depicted the life of a criminal gang was exciting and thrilling, without a moment of break before trouble finds them, or the other way around. Sasuke's experience however, had been vastly different and each day was filled with wandering and nothing to do, especially due to him being one of the newer and thus least trusted members. In fact, he mused, Sakura's recapturing had been the one of the biggest assignments he had been given for a while. And it was therefore in the boring aftermath that followed that Sasuke had more than enough time to sort his thoughts.

Sakura had mentioned that she knew him, and that he was close to someone named Naruto as well. And if his memory served him correct, Naruto was also the name of the man they were meant to kidnap, instead of Sakura. The millionaire Kakashi's nephew or something of the sort.

At this point, his head was close to bursting from the pain, but he still forced himself to think. It wasn't as though he believed Sakura's words that easily, but he was starting to doubt his own memories. He only just realised that as he tried to think of something other than his family and getting revenge, his brain turned up little to nothing. It was as though everything was hazy and foggy. He couldn't recall anything about school, which he had surely attended before his parents died. They were a pretty well-off and highly educated family after all.

He tried to think about his career before joining Akatsuki, but once again turned up with nothing useful. After a few more moments of concentration though, he could vaguely picture a face. The face looked much like his, and his parents'… Sasuke sat bolt upright as a jolt of realisation shot through him. That was his brother! And his name… Sasuke desperately delved into the depths of his memories again, before coming up with an 'Itachi'. He breathed a sigh of relief. He managed to remember something after all. But now he was faced with a lot of headache-inducing questions. How could he ever have forgotten his own brother when his parents' faces and circumstances leading to their death were bright and clear in his mind? How is it that he couldn't remember any of his past that didn't involve his family? He fought the urge to scream, both from frustration and the pain that wasn't dulling in the slightest.

Sasuke only had one theory at the moment, which was a selective amnesia of some sort. But he had no ideas on what could have induced it or when it had happened. He also didn't know how or if he could ever recover all of his memories.

Seeing that Sakura seemed to know a bit about his past, he decided that he could perhaps get some of his questions answered. He also vaguely recall Konan saying that she was a doctor. That might help too.

Unfortunately for him, ever since his outburst, Sakura had refused to talk to him, even when he went to deliver her food and tried to start a conversation with him some hours later. Granted, his appalling attempt at conversation only consisted of a single "hn" and confidence that she would continue rambling where he left off and all he needed to do was listen. His confidence was wrongly placed. She stayed quiet the entire time he was in the room and refused to look at him. He, on the other hand, was too prideful to even slightly admit that she may have been right and that he now wanted to hear her side of the story.

And so Sasuke left without gaining any of the answers he went in seeking.

* * *

Itachi stopped his car in front of the looming building and slowly got out. He did not have a good feeling about what he was going to do. Not at all. But it must be done.

He craned his neck to look at the top of the building, where the sign 'UCHIHA CORPORATION' was once proud and glimmering but was now only a rusted shell of its former glory.

Itachi's eyes saddened, before he squared his resolve and he put on his indifferent façade. Now was not the time to mourn or wonder about 'what ifs'. There will be time for it later, he told himself. If all things go well.

With that, he stepped into the abandoned building. The ground floor was dark and as desolate as it seemed. But Itachi knew better than to stop his search here. He continued winding his way through offices and stairs, hoping to find some sign of life that would confirm his suspicions.

It wasn't until the eight floor that Itachi finally found what he was looking for. The rooms here were brightly lit, and dark curtains were drawn at every window, so as to not alert the outside to suspicious activity in a supposedly abandoned building. Through the open doors, Itachi could see a lot of medical equipment, ranging from operating tables to vials upon vials of unknown liquids, substances and medicines. Some of the doors were closed and Itachi want to think about what could be in them.

Itachi walked and observed silently, until he reached the room at the end of the corridor. The door was slightly ajar, and from the gap, Itachi could make out dim lights and one end of a wooden table. He knew from prior knowledge of the building's layout that this was the biggest office in the entire floor, and the person he was searching for was likely in here.

When he stepped as silent as a shadow, it was clear that the man sitting the leather chair with his back to Itachi was expecting him.

"Nice of you to come by to visit, Itachi," he said in a taunting tone while turning around.

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the sinister grin against the deathly pale skin, before clashing with the man's snake-like eyes.

"Orochimaru."

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Having barely gotten any sleep the night before, Sasuke was in a foul mood when breakfast came around. Not that he was ever in a good mood anyway. But he was in a particularly bad mood today and even the people around him avoided him slightly, albeit barely noticeable. The more arrogant higher ups that usually mock and taunt him for being a 'newbie' too were unusually silent today. Sasuke took no notice of them however, and was merely absorbed with his own thoughts again.

He picked at the barely edible food and was so distracted that he completely forgot to take the energy pills that every Akatsuki member was given. So that they can 'perform at their very best'. Sasuke had scoffed when he was first told to eat them but had obeyed nonetheless, not wanting to get himself into any messes in the first few days of his joining. But when he had felt a spike in his energy levels after the consumption of the pills, he had continued eating them without question.

Shortly after, when he was wandering the base doing petty chores and just getting lost in his own thoughts again, did he feel the effects that the absence of energy pills was having on his body. The fatigue and less-than-normal stamina and energy levels were to be expected, but what he did not expect was to lose control over his consciousness as well.

For what felt like hours, his mind drifted back and forth between the present and what seems to be someone's memories. He couldn't tell whose they were, or even differentiate it between his own imagination and reality, too caught up in the struggle to set his mind back on track.

Eventually he did manage to regain control, and the flashes of unfamiliar faces, places and events slowed in frequency before stopping completely. In the wake of this, Sasuke was tempted to forget that this ever happened and continue with the life as he has known it but there was a now a new and foreign feeling in him. The feeling that a part of him was missing. Sakura's words also haunted him.

It was this curiosity that led him to set aside revenge for his parents for the first time since joining Akatsuki. It was also this curiosity that led him to deliberately 'forget' to take his energy pills for the next week. It wasn't easy to do so though, as Sasuke later realised that he had become addicted to it. The withdrawal symptoms and cravings nearly had him cave a few times, but the foreign feeling and his curiosity was stronger.

They did always say that curiosity killed the cat, but Sasuke was willing to take the risk this time.

He would soon find it was worth it.

* * *

"I'm impressed Itachi. You took less time finding me than I expected."

Itachi debated on replying but figured he didn't have much left to lose, "It was easy once you think about it. Returning to the crime scene would be the last thing the police would suspect a criminal of doing. A crime scene under the protection of the police no less."

"Ah yes. I figured it would be a big slap in the face for the police if they ever found out that they were indirectly protecting the man that they are so relentless searching for," Orochimaru grinned, "It would be amusing. So amusing indeed." At this, he cackled maniacally as he pictured the look of defeat on the entire police force when they find out that they had been playing into his hands this entire time.

Itachi immediately took this chance to sneak right behind Orochimaru and firmly pressed the nozzle of his gun to the pale man's temple. At the feel of the cold metal, Orochimaru sobered up but didn't seem the least bit intimidated.

"My, my, aren't you taking this a bit too far?"

Itachi ignored him.

"Where is Sasuke." He deadpanned as a demand rather than a question.

Orochimaru smiled innocently, "What are you talking about, Itachi? Your dearest little brother died in that fire with your parents. Right here in this building, in fact. Surely you know that."

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "The fire that _you_ started," he hissed, his body now boiling with anger and sadness as he remembered the day. All the exits were mysteriously blocked off or locked when the fire started in the top three floors of the main building of the Uchiha Corporation. The fire brigade was in time to save the sturdier-than-normal building, but not the people trapped inside. Many lives were lost that day, including his parents'. But he knew for a fact that Sasuke was not one of them.

"Sasuke was never in the building when the fire started. He was with me the entire time. He told me that he was joining Akatsuki before he disappeared."

"Well then I think you should take this up with Akatsuki. This is none of my business."

"I think this is _entirely_ your business, Orochimaru. I know that you are working with Akatsuki."

Orochimaru seemed to pause, before bursting into laughter. In response, Itachi tensed and pushed the gun harder into his skin.

"Well, now this is unexpected," Orochimaru managed to choke out amidst the laughing fit.

When he finally sobered, he stood up and threw his hands up in glee, not at all caring about the gun that is still aimed at his life.

"Finally, a challenge! Things are finally getting interesting." His eyes were wild with madness and complete and utter confidence at his own victory.

In a split second, Orochimaru disappeared from Itachi's sight. Itachi immediately ducked as Orochimaru swiped and missed his neck with a razor-sharp scalpel. Taking advantage of Orochimaru's momentary loss of balance, Itachi aimed a kick to his face but felt no impact as Orochimaru recovered faster than expected and jumped a good few feet backwards.

They now stood facing each other, neither making a move as they squared each other up.

"You know too much, Itachi. I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."

"Not if I kill you first."

And with that, they both charged at each other.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Still firmly holding onto his gun with his left hand, Itachi ducked to avoid Orochimaru's swipe and aimed an uppercut at his face but Orochimaru tilted his head backwards to avoid it. Having expected that, Itachi slid his legs to trip him. This move finally caught him off guard, but Orochimaru recovered fast enough to prevent Itachi inflicting any lasting injuries on him. Orochimaru made his move next, letting fly two of the scalpels in his hand. Itachi managed to dodge the them but was unprepared by the sight of a third scalpel that was expertly kept from his line of sight by the first one. It sliced his cheek, drawing the first blood of the night.

"Tch."

"Getting rusty are you? Give up now and save your strength."

"Never."

With a sudden burst of speed, Itachi lunged forward and faked a kick to Orochimaru's face and swung a punch when he ducked. He missed, but he already expected to and immediately fired with his gun. The shot echoed loudly in the deserted building.

Orochimaru growled, temper rising. His left leg was flowing with blood from the wound. The pain wasn't much of a problem, but this will greatly affect his mobility.

Not giving Orochimaru any time to recover, Itachi quickly fired another shot at his right leg, but Orochimaru just managed to dodge and retaliated with a shower of scalpels. Too focus with dodging all the scalpels, Itachi momentarily lost sight of Orochimaru, only to feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising a split second later. He slid his body sideways, but Orochimaru still managed to leave a deep wound on his firing arm.

Ignoring the pain, Itachi put his gun back into the holster kicked a few of the fallen scalpels into the air. Expertly grabbing them all, the scalpels were only in his hand for a second before they were being projected towards Orochimaru.

"Using my own weapons against me? Even that is not enough to win against me, you know."

Itachi didn't respond, but instead threw another round of scalpels before doing a high backflip, landing behind Orochimaru. Much like how Orochimaru dealt the blow on his left arm, Itachi took the opportunity to lunge for him while he was still preoccupied with the scalpels he threw.

Orochimaru dodged with a mocking look on his face, "Using my moves as well? Seems like you are really getting desperate."

Itachi merely smirked at his successful fake and slid his legs to trip Orochimaru. With his legs in such a state, Orochimaru was not fast enough to dodge, and his balance was also weaker, leading to him falling face first onto the ground. The scalpels dug slightly into skin, drawing more blood.

Itachi wasted no time to pin him to the ground, firmly locking Orochimaru's arms with his one good hand.

Itachi's smirk widened, "You were saying?"

Orochimaru's only response was a sneer.

"Even if you have managed to defeat me, I'm not going to give up any information easily. By the time you're done with me, you would've lost too much blood."

"Oh, I know you're not going to spill that easily. Which was why I brought some backup."

With that, a swarm of armed police burst in, guns raised and pointing at Orochimaru. A few gathered around Itachi to properly arrest Orochimaru, allowing him to stand up and finally inspect the wound on his arm.

"Nice idea with the note, by the way. Would have preferred it if you hadn't coded it so heavily, though. How did you know that our office was bugged?"

Itachi looked up to see Obito and Shisui walking towards him. Obito was the one who had spoken.

"All of our previous foiled attempts were way too suspicious. Almost as if they knew we were coming before we even got there. The most likely option was that they were spying on us somehow, but since only the three of us knew the full details of each operation, I suspected a bug. I didn't have time to confirm it though."

"Why didn't you tell us earlier? If we had been here to help, you probably wouldn't have been injured." Shisui nodded at the wound that Itachi was now bandaging with the bandages in a first aid kit that one of the officers had handed to him.

"Too many people would be too noticeable. One person had the least chance of raising his suspicions. We couldn't afford to have him get away again."

Shisui sighed, "Well anyway, good job. You should drop by the hospital and get that treated. We'll take care of the interrogation."

Itachi nodded his affirmation and left. After all that Orochimaru has done to the Uchiha, he had no doubt that his cousins would show him no mercy and milk every word from his lips.

* * *

Sakura was feeling very confused and conflicted. She had no idea what to feel towards a Sasuke that didn't recognise her. The very concept of it made her head spin with confusion because _how was it possible?_ How was it possible that the person she's known all her life, didn't recognise her? How was it possible that he had already forgotten the name of his best friend?

And so she had proceeded to ignore him entirely whenever he came with her food, almost as if she was storing away a particularly puzzling and tragic medical case for when her emotions had the capacity to handle it. For when her brain was clear enough to process and nit-pick through every procedure to find what went wrong.

She decided that the time was probably now. Even if she was still a bit heartbroken, she couldn't possibly leave her friend in such a state just because she wasn't emotionally ready.

 _I didn't graduate at the top of my cohort in med school just to become useless when my friends need me, shannaro!_

 _Okay, first of all,_ Sakura reminded herself, _from a medical perspective, losing one's memories is entirely possible due to amnesia. Judging from the fact that this happened after Sasuke-kun's disappearance for months right after his parents died, trauma is the most likely cause. Or it could also be from injuries he sustained in the fire… Either way, it would probably be best to speak to Sasuke-kun directly to find out what happened in the past few months to determine the cause and then I can draw up a treatment plan. But the biggest problem right now is the fact that he obviously won't speak to me after that inc—_

Her rambling thoughts were interrupted when the door creaked open.

"Sakura, it's me, Sasuke."

Sakura looked up and could vaguely make out his features in the dim lighting. Combined with the familiar tone of his voice, the recognition that was now in his eyes nearly made her cry in joy and disbelief.

"I remember everything now."

* * *

Thank you for reading!


End file.
